It may be wing heresy, but most bar wings are nothing special, gooped and gunked with the same old buffalo wing sauce found the world over, which is why I always laugh whenever I see a bar proclaiming "world famous buffalo wings.'' Nine times out of 10, I already know what they're going to taste like (though every once in a while, a bar will get creative with the sauce).

Buffalo wings as we know them started with the Anchor Bar in Buffalo in 1964. Co-owner Teressa Bellissimo cooked leftover wings in hot sauce for her son and his friends. Hot sauce maker Dick Winger — I am not making that name up — and Teressa's son Dominick went on the road selling the sauce. A legend was born.

There are a few traditional buffalo wings on my list of N.J.'s best wings. But most of the places on my list make wings that stand out, and they're all over the map — sports, craft beer and neighborhood bars; barbecue joints; Korean and Thai restaurants, and more.

I did a similar list in 2017, but this one is fresh and hot. In the past week, I drove 1,199 miles, sampling wings at 25 previously unvisited spots around the state. Several wing legends were dropped from last year's list; tough decisions had to be made.

NOTE: The places are not ranked. The list is in alphabetical order.

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Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Babe's Bar & Grill, Gibbstown

Never heard of Gibbstown? The town, part of Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, is home to one of the nation's oldest log cabins. And Babe's. It's not quite as old as the log cabin (the bar opened in 2007), but it's a homey little locals hangout.

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Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

You can tell Babe's wings are different just by looking at them: crispier than most and seriously seasoned. The buffalo sauce is not the usual assembly-line variety; it's hot and vinegary. Babe's was one of eight newcomers on this year's list.

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Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Big Papa Smoke'm, Bogota

Big Papa is Mario Chape; I remember when his smoker was parked behind a strip mall in Chatham. Big Papa now operates out of a storefront in Bogota and his Notorious P.I.G. rig can be found at pop-up events.

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Peter Genovese | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

I'm not sure how many N.J. wing joints offer Alabama white sauce, but the number can't be many. Big Papa's version (wings in photo) includes mayo, brown sugar and cayenne. The other sauce sampled, spicy barbecue, lives up to its name, with a smooth tomatoey base.